Renan Barao Out at UFC 177, T.J. Dillashaw to Face Joe Soto

Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barão, who was slated to face current titlist T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 177 on Saturday night, has withdrawn from tomorrow night’s contest, according to multiple sources. Barão reportedly had problems when finishing his weight cut Friday morning, leading to his late removal from the main event of UFC 177.

Dillashaw will reportedly face former Bellator featherweight champion Joe Soto in the event’s revised headlining fight. Soto was originally slated to take on Anthony Birchak during the preliminary portion of UFC 177 and steps in on one day’s notice to fight for the bantamweight belt.

Barão’s departure is the second such fight-altering announcement to come on Friday after flyweight Henry Cejudo also withdrew from his scheduled contest against Scott Jorgensen. Jorgensen was not given a replacement opponent.

In the co-main event, a pair of hungry lightweights will lock horns as WEC veteran Danny Castillo takes on Ultimate Fighter 13 winner Tony Ferguson. Castillo scored a violent, second-round knockout of Charlie Brenneman in April to earn his seventh Octagon win. Ferguson, meanwhile, earned his fifth UFC win with a first-round finish of Katsunori Kikuno at UFC 173 in May.

The eight-fight card kicks off Saturday with three preliminary card bouts on Fox Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET. The five-fight main card begins at 10 p.m. ET live on pay-per-view.

About The Author

Eric Reinert has been writing about MMA since 2010. Prior to joining Combat Press, his work appeared on The MMA Corner. Outside the world of caged combat, Eric has spent time as a news reporter, speechwriter, campaign strategist, tech support manager, landscaper and janitor. He lives in Portland, Ore.